Pompeo and Turkish FM discuss S-400 defense system, Syria

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U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu discussed Turkey's purchase of Russia's S-400 air defense system and security along the Turkey-Syria border in a phone call on Saturday.

In their phone conversation, Pompeo conveyed the U.S.' disappointment over Turkey's acquisition of the Russian S-400 air defense system, State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.

Turkey's Erdogan: Russian S-400s to be fully deployed by April 2020

Pompeo reaffirmed to Cavusoglu the U.S. commitment to addressing Turkish security concerns along the Turkey-Syria border, while reiterating the U.S. obligation to ensure the protection of local partners working with the United States in the campaign against the Islamic State, referring to Kurdish forces.

A Russian military cargo plane carrying the S-400 missile defense system from Russia lands at the Murted military airbase in Ankara, Turkey, July 12, 2019. /VCG Photo

Ankara has long designated Syrian Kurdish fighters as terrorists. Turkish media reported earlier this month that a large Turkish military convoy was sent and deployed in the southern province of Hatay near the Syrian border, leading to speculation that a Turkish offensive against Kurdish forces might be imminent.

The White House and the Pentagon confirmed earlier this week that Turkey's purchase of S-400 systems had led to the termination of Ankara's involvement with the F-35 program.

Turkey's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday called the U.S. move to terminate Turkey's participation in the F-35 program illegitimate and might bring irreparable damage to bilateral relations.

Pompeo's remarks come after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that the Russian S-400 missile defense system, parts of which have been delivered to Turkey last week, will be fully deployed in April 2020, adding that he will "go further" to jointly produce S-400s with Moscow.

It's unclear when and where Turkey will make weapons with Russia, but Turkey will be the first NATO member to operate the Russian surface-to-air missile defense system, and will be the first NATO member country to make weapons with Russia.

(With inputs from Xinhua)

(Cover: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivers remarks to the media at the State Department in Washington, DC, the U.S., June 13, 2019. /VCG Photo)